Visiting the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM)

What you come to see

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) was inaugurated on Saturday 1 November 2025 and opened to the public on 4 November. It stands at the edge of the Giza plateau, about 2 km from the pyramids.

The visit follows a simple order:

• the Grand Hall, where the colossal statue of Ramesses II stands;
• the Grand Staircase, lined with statues, which climbs to the galleries;
• the main galleries;
• the Tutankhamun galleries, which display more than 5,000 objects from the treasure together for the first time since its discovery in 1922;
• the Khufu Boats Museum, devoted to the boats found at the foot of the Great Pyramid.

The ticket also covers the gardens and the commercial area. The royal mummies, Ramesses II, Seti I or Hatshepsut, are displayed elsewhere, at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Old Cairo. Sabaro's Cairo page explains how to spread the city's three museums over your stay.

Planning your day

Allow up to four hours. Times are Cairo time: for most of the year, Egypt is 2 hours ahead of London; the gap changes for a few weeks in spring, between the switch to summer time in Europe, in late March, and in Egypt, in late April.

Last entry is one hour before the galleries close, and the ticket is valid for a specific entry slot.

With the pyramids on the same day. This is the combination Sabaro recommends, since the two sites are neighbours: the Giza plateau opens at 7 am, and mornings there are cooler and quieter. Move on to the museum in late morning, for the galleries during the hottest hours. You need two separate tickets: the plateau ticket is sold on the official sites platform, egymonuments.com, as explained in the guide "Egyptian site tickets".

In the evening. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, the galleries stay open until 9 pm. A late-afternoon slot lets you do the plateau in the morning, rest at the hotel during the hottest hours, then visit the museum at a calmer pace.

With a guide. The museum's guided tours, in English or Arabic, start between 10 am and 4 pm. For a tour in another language, you need to book a private guide.

Tickets and prices

The museum sells its tickets on its official website, visit-gem.com, which leads to its ticketing site tickets.gem.eg; it accepts no responsibility for tickets bought elsewhere, and lookalike sites exist. Travel agencies and groups use a dedicated booking address.

Prices for foreign visitors, checked on 14 October 2026, in Egyptian pounds (EGP):

Entry is free for children under 6, visitors with disabilities and members of ICOM (International Council of Museums), with proof; the price difference for a guided tour is paid at the ticket office.

The terms of sale are strict:

• tickets are in the visitor's name, non-transferable and valid only for the chosen date and slot;
• single entry, with no re-entry after leaving;
• no refunds, whatever the sales channel, except in cases of force majeure recognised by the museum.

Sabaro recommends booking as soon as your travel dates are set.

What you can bring

• Photography: personal photos and video are allowed, on a phone or camera. Flash, tripods, monopods, selfie sticks, drones, external lighting and live streaming are banned.
• Bags: bags, backpacks and suitcases over 40 × 40 cm go to the cloakroom, as do umbrellas.
• Food and drink: only a small bottle of water is allowed in the galleries.
• Sketching: pencil only, in a sketchbook no larger than 45 × 60 cm.
• Other: no musical instruments or animals; do not touch objects or display cases, and smoke only in the designated outdoor areas.

Getting there

The museum is on El Remayah Square, on the Cairo-Alexandria desert road, about 2 km from the pyramids. The nearest metro station is Giza, 10 to 15 minutes away by taxi. The Marriott Mena House, the hotel in Sabaro's selection at the foot of the plateau, is 2.1 km away, and Sphinx airport, west of Giza, receives direct flights from Europe. From central Cairo, plan on a driver: journey times depend heavily on traffic.